After the Rain
by LavenderAndTime
Summary: MAJOR spoilers for "Death in Heaven." After the rain, they lied to each other, all at once. The Doctor and Clara lied to sustain their damaged façades. Danny Pink lied to conceal his guilt. And the Mistress lied to get her friend back. Four short epilogues, one for each character. (2/4: Clara Oswald)
1. One: The Doctor

**For "Death in Heaven," I've decided to write a sort of epilogue for the four main characters. This is the first one, from the Doctor's point of view. The next three (in order) will be Clara, Danny, and finally, the Mistress. Hope you enjoy! I know I've had such fun writing fics circulating around series 8. :)**

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><p><em>After the Rain<br>__One: __The Doctor_

Sure, he lied to her. When had he done any different? Their entire relationship was built on lies and secrets.

_I found Gallifrey. I'm going home._

Out of all the lies he'd spun, he regrets this one the most. Before, he lied to sustain his damaged façade, and now he lies to help sustain hers. They masked their faces and lied to each other, because if they can believe for just a moment they aren't both broken inside, maybe _then_ they can manage to part ways.

Danny hadn't returned. This was obvious. Her eyes inflated to the size of small tangerines simply at the mention of his name. Try as she will, Clara hadn't yet perfected the art of lying, and he hopes she never does.

He didn't find Gallifrey; of course he didn't. He only found stars at the Mistress's coordinates. When he outstretched his hand to open the door he closed his eyes, and allowed brief flickers of memory to flash before him: an orange sky, illuminated by the light of the two suns, silver-leaved forests stretching so far into the horizon it seemed they touched the stars, the lazy summer days he spent exploring the world outside, before he was inducted into the Academy... He remembered himself as a young child, running on the edge of a brook, hand-in-hand with his best friend.

Kochei...

The Master.

The Mistress.

His _friend_.

And this _friend_ was as much as a liar as he was. It seemed he built his home around liars. There was no Gallifrey anymore, not in this universe. Her final gift was utter deception, and he had accepted the bait thoughtlessly.

The Doctor diverted his attention to the console of his TARDIS, a welcome- yet grim- distraction from his tormented thoughts. Snapped levers and severed wires littered her console. Guilt panged in his hearts as he remembered who had done this to her. He wanted to forget. He wanted to pretend this day was an unwelcome dream, but whenever he tried to catch a few winks, _her_ face stared back.

_"I want my friend back," _she said.

Well. So did he... desperately. Just not like _this_.


	2. Two: Clara Oswald

_After the Rain  
><em>_Two: __Clara Oswald_

Clara turns her back on his ship. She forces herself to walk away when she hears the engines groan behind her, trying not to let her emotion control her. In this small instant, she closes the door on her life with the Doctor.

Her cheeks become wet. She doesn't know why she's crying. Everything should be happy, right? She'll walk home to her flat, open the door, and run into Danny's arms like nothing was ever amiss. The Doctor will take off in his TARDIS, return to the newly-found Gallifrey, and begin assisting his people as they rebuild. Everything's fine. She'll have a happy ending, because doctors take broken people and make them better.

Her vision becomes blurry, overrun with tears. These are tears of joy, of course. Why would she be upset? She stifles a sob, and continues to walk, away from Queen Street, away from _everything_.

When Clara realizes that people walking on the street alongside of her are staring, she ducks into a shop. She manages to ask for the ladies' room, and rushes down the hall in a mess of tears, following the shop woman's directions. When she finds it, and confirms that she's alone, she drops her facade. She lets herself cry, however hideous and unladylike and not-in-control it might sound. That was the truth, after all. She's not in control, not anymore.

Danny. Oh, Danny... She loved him, she knows she did. She loved him so much that thinking about the extent of her love now makes her lungs tight and her heart swell. She feels like she's drowning. And while she wasn't very good at it, her love _was_ honest.

But none of that matters anymore, because Danny Pink- _Rupert_ Pink- is gone forever, just like everyone else she's ever truly loved. Her mum, her Gramps, the Doctor...

But the Doctor-

Deep down, she knows she's being too melodramatic. Her goofy, bow-tied Doctor may be gone, but _the_ Doctor is still here, and she still loves him. It's not a romantic love, (_dear lord, it's not_), but it's still love, and it still matters.

Clara doubts he'll be coming back any time soon. To him, she shut the door on that part of her life. It's probably for the better. She doesn't think she could bear to sustain her lies about Danny anymore.

Clara screwed up, big time. She's practically a monster. She blatantly lied to both of them, and damaged two of the best relationships she had because she was scared pursuing one would negate the other. She spun her webs, and now she's stuck to deal with the cruel aftermath.


End file.
